Propelling apparatus for vessels.



llo-'737313. PAT-BNTED AUG. 25,19os.

L. DION.

PROPELLING APPARATUS POR VESSBLS.

' APPLLgATIoN FILED SEPT. e, 1902. No MODEL.

THE Now Pneus no. Pnmu Llmov. WASHINGTON. n. c

i UNITEDY STATES Patented August 25,1903. Y

PATENT OFFICE. l

LEON DION, OF BOSTON,l MAssAcn'usn'rTs,. AssIGNOR To AMERICA MARINE COMPANY, or INEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA.

PROPEtLiNG APPARATUS FOR vlies-ELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent o. 737,213, dated August 25, 1903.

' Application filed lSeptember 6,1902. ySerial No.1 22,385. Y (No model) To LZZl whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, LON DION, of Boston,

' in the county of Sui'olk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propelling Apparatus for Vessels, ofwhich the following is a speciication.

This invention relates to means for impelling navigable vessels, and embodying down- Wardly-opening longitudinal channels formed in the bottom of the hull, and chains or paddles supportedV by drive-wheels in saidchannels and moved longitudinally therein to exert pressure upon` the water in the lower portions of said channels. In another application for Letters Patent of the Uni-ted States filed by me concurrently herewith I have shown one embodiment of said invention.

The present `invention consists in certain improvements in the construction of the chains orpaddles, in the drive-wheels which support and impel the same, and in other portions of the apparatus, all of which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figurel represents a longitudinal section of a portion of one of the channels in the hull of aV navigable vessel and a side elevation of one of the drivewheels and a portion of the chain ofpaddles located in said channels, the plane of the section on which Fig. l is takenrbeing indicated by the line 1 l in Fig. 2.; Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2 2 of Fig. l.A Figs. 3 and 4i represent perspective views of aiunit of thev chain.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures. i l

In the drawings, afa representthe sides or walls of a channel a', which extends longitudinally in the bottom portion ofthe hull of the navigable vessel and opens downwardly.l

In practice there will be a plurality of these in the walls a a.

In the drawings ofthis wise of the channels and of .the hull of the vessel, the lower'stretch of paddles being near the open mouth or bottom portion ofthe channel.

- b representsa shaft, which is preferably tubular and Ais journaled in bearings formed shaft project outside of the channel and are or may be -provided with' means, such as sprocket-wheels o8, to engage drive-chains,

vwhich communicate motion from a suitable source of power, such as an electricor other motor, to the shaft.

b represents a hub or'web formed on or rigidly afxed to the central portion of the shaft b.

b2 b2 represent side plates rigidly affixed to the web b', said plates being of circular form, so that their outer margins constitute two perimeters of a drive-wheel, said margins being bent outwardly at b3 b5 and separated v by an intermediate peripheral space b4. The perimeters of the side plates b2 b2 are pro- K'vide'd with slots or recesses b5, formed to receivethe end portions of the inafter referred to.

.` The chain of paddles is preferably compaddles c, hereposed of a series of units, each constructed as shown in Fig. 3. Each paddle c has a substantially flat front face extending crosswise of the chain and twogcoupling members c c2, one projecting from the frontandu the other from the back side of the paddle. The member o is provided with a hook c4, while the member cgis provided with a slot c5, formed Theend portions of the to receive the hook of another chain unit, the

rseveral units being coupled-together,- as

clearly shown in Fig. l. The paddle "c is made longer than the coupling members c and .02,

`so that its ends project outside of the ends of' the coupling members, the ends of 'the paddles being thus adapted to enter and engage the slots b5 in the drive-wheel, while the coup- IOO ling members are adapted to enter the space b4 between the two perimeters of the drivewheel.

c6 c represent studs projecting outwardly from the ends of the paddles c c, said studs entering guide-grooves g, formed in the Walls of the passage 0.. The engagement of the studs with theV guide grooves prevents the sagging of the stretches of the chain between the drive-wheels, as will be readily seen. The acting faces of the paddles are securely held substantially at right angles with the stretches of the chain, so that when the chain is impelled by the rotation of the drive-wheels the paddles exert pressure upon the Water in the lower portion of the channel a', and thus impel the vessel.

The hub or web b is preferably provided with concentric annular ribs b5, which lit into corresponding annular grooves formed in the inner sides of the side plates b2, as shown in Fig. 2. The hub or web b'and the side plates b2 are securely connected by transverse bolts b, these bolts and the above-mentioned ribs and grooves contributing to form an extremely solid and durable construction. The bearings for the shaft b' are preferably provided with antifriction-rollers i, held in place by suitable holding means, as shown in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 4I show a paddle with a rounded back, while in Fig. 3 the paddle shown is flat at its central portion and rounded at its ends.

I do not limit myself to the details of construction here shown, and may variously modify the same without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It is obvious that each chain of paddles may be driven by but one drive-wheel, which may be located at any desired part of the channel, suitable idle rolls or pulleys being employed to cooperate with the drive-wheel in supporting the chain.

I believe myself to be the first to provide a paddle formed as a chain unit and provided not only with coupling members for engagement with other units, but also with supporting means, such as the studs c, for engaging complemental means, such as the guidegrooves g, to prevent sagging of the chain.

I claim- 1. A vessel having a longitudinal channel in its hull, a drive-wheel located in the said channel, having two slotted perimeters separated by an intermediate peripheral space,

and a chain composed of a series of units, each including a paddle, and coupling members rigidly affixed thereto, the paddle being formed to engage the slots in the perimeters of the wheel, while the coupling members are formed to enter tho spaces between the said perimeters.

2. A vessel having a longitudinal channel in its hull, a drive-wheel located in said channel, comprising a shaft journaled in bearings in the sides of the channel, a hub or web rigidly afiiXed to the shaft, and side plates alixed to said web, their perimeters being slotted and separated by an intermediate peripheral space, and a chain composed of a series of paddles formed to engage the slotted perimeters of the side plates, and coupling members connectingsaid paddles and formed to enter the said intermediate space.

3. A vessel having a longitudinal channel in its hull, antifrictiou-bearings in the sides of said channel, a shaft journaled in said bearings and extending across the channel, a chain-engaging wheel ailxed to said shaft within the channel, a chain engaged with said Wheel within the channel and composed of a series of paddles formed to engage the Wheel, and coupling members between the paddles, and means outside the channel for rotating said shafts and Wheel.

4. A chain of paddles composed of a series of integral units each comprising a paddle, coupling members andsupporting members, all formed on the paddle and integral therewith.

` 5. A vessel having a longitudinal channel in its hull, the walls of said channel having guide-grooves, a drive-wheel mounted on a shaft journaled in said walls, said wheel having two slotted perimeters separated by an intermediate peripheral space, and a chain composed of a series of paddles formed to engage said slotted peripheries and having studs at their ends projecting into said guidegrooves, and coupling members formed on said paddles and shorter than the latter, said coupling members being formed to enter the pheripheral space of the wheel.

In testimony whereof I have aiixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

LON DION. Witnesses:

A. P. BACON, ADELINE C. RATIGAN.

IOO 

